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░█▒█ Artist ■ Kathaarsys █▒█░
░ █▒█ Album ■ Anonymous Ballad █▒█ ░
░█░█ Year ■ 2009 █░█░
█░█ Release Date ■ 2011-10-16 █░█
█░█ Genre ■ Black Metal █░█
█ █ Label ■ Concreto Records / Silent Tree █ █
█░█ Source ■ CD █░█
█ █ Type ■ Album █ █
█░█ Quality ■ VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █░█
█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Really, this is more than expected of the guys, especially █ █
█ █ after the epics found on Verses In Vain. Though, the title █ █
█ █ I posted is only relative to the first two songs and parts █ █
█ █ of the rest of the album... █ █
█ █ Now that I look back upon my two earlier reviews, I see █ █
█ █ they were weak and were general. But, anyways, enough with █ █
█ █ that. Let's talk about Kathaarsys and their new album: █ █
█ █ Anonymous Ballad. █ █
█ █ Even the song titles seem to be of a darker, less pagan █ █
█ █ sort than what Kathaarsys usually put out. From the █ █
█ █ beginning of the opening track, we see they have indeed █ █
█ █ adopted depressive rock influences, akin to Katatonia, but █ █
█ █ far heavier than what their modern work consists of. █ █
█ █ Another slam dunk for this album is the increase in bass █ █
█ █ volume, and J.L.'s vocal prowess. █ █
█ █ Over the years, his voice has gone through changes. From █ █
█ █ the first album, he was amateurish but it had a very █ █
█ █ attractive flair to it nonetheless. With the second foray, █ █
█ █ his vocals became more focused on growls and cleans, and █ █
█ █ eventually with this album, they became almost entirely █ █
█ █ based upon his cleans. █ █
█ █ Gone are the ferocious, yet amateurish, growls and the █ █
█ █ Ihsahn-clone black metal shrieks have gotten much better █ █
█ █ and less harsh. In are the clean vocals that are somewhat █ █
█ █ derivitive of Jonas Renske and Ihsahn, but with a strangely █ █
█ █ unique touch. The growls and shrieks are still in, but █ █
█ █ cleans dominate. █ █
█ █ Onto the music. Kathaarsys's music has stayed relatively █ █
█ █ similar to what it was before, the heavy use of tremolo █ █
█ █ picked chords harmonized on top of each other and clean █ █
█ █ guitars played some twiddly melody with a chord backing and █ █
█ █ bass rumbling a strangely fitting line or two. The drums █ █
█ █ are possibly the biggest improvement over the two albums, █ █
█ █ almost as much as the vocals. █ █
█ █ Knowing my complaint with the first album, far too many █ █
█ █ blasts, and my complaints with the second album, far too █ █
█ █ few simple bits, this album was a blessing. Their is a wide █ █
█ █ variety of short blast beats, and faster double kick █ █
█ █ moments, and then the extremely simple but effective parts █ █
█ █ found almost entirely throughout the clean sections. █ █
█ █ Now, one could say many things about the guitars. But, I █ █
█ █ will begin that. The tone is almost the same as it was on █ █
█ █ the sophomore, just slightly more refined. The style of █ █
█ █ play is almost the same, just a little more progressive and █ █
█ █ leaning towards classic heavy metal riffing. █ █
█ █ The guitars occaisionally play some wildly confusing riff, █ █
█ █ such as near the end of Sadness and Hopelessness. Sometimes █ █
█ █ they will play an actual death metal riff, such as in the █ █
█ █ beginning of the third track, where you find yourself █ █
█ █ headbanging your arse off. The only thing wrong with the █ █
█ █ second track,t hough, is the abrupt ending when J.L. does █ █
█ █ his wicked falsettos that are obviously too much for him. █ █
█ █ The third song, The Advent of Madness, is absolutely the █ █
█ █ heaviest here. Filled with the aforementioned evil riff in █ █
█ █ the intro, blasting drums, and wild bass and gutiar solos, █ █
█ █ this song is wicked fun. Not to mention the Teutonic vocals █ █
█ █ in the verse parts. This song is just possibly Kathaarsys's █ █
█ █ best creation in recent times, as it blends so well their █ █
█ █ musical stylings. The song ranges from absolutely bestial █ █
█ █ black/death riffery akin to Akercocke, to a suddenly more █ █
█ █ epic and traditional, even doomy, harmonized riff. This █ █
█ █ song is Kathaarsys fan's wet dream, and it literally █ █
█ █ crushed me. █ █
█ █ Another to note easily, is the basswork. Dear god, they █ █
█ █ finally realized Ms. Barcia's immense talent, and used it █ █
█ █ to avail! Increasing her volume, and also increasing her █ █
█ █ importance with even more countermelodies and a gorgeous █ █
█ █ tone, we are treated to the Kathaarsys I think we'll come █ █
█ █ to know for a few albums. █ █
█ █ Speaking of albums, the production. Similar to Verses In █ █
█ █ Vain's production, this album is slick without being █ █
█ █ ridiculously shiny and compressed. Their is a bit of life █ █
█ █ within the sleek production, and there is no hollow shell █ █
█ █ of a guitar tone. The drum tone is similar to the █ █
█ █ sophomore's, and the overall atmosphere is that of evil and █ █
█ █ depressing, something I think Kathaarsys have been trying █ █
█ █ to acheive since the get-go. █ █
█ █ Although there is a huge similarity to Akercocke within the █ █
█ █ music, this album is nonetheless unique in it's own right, █ █
█ █ and the only real similarites are the guitar tone and █ █
█ █ growls, since they are apparently akin to Jason's dog █ █
█ █ barks. █ █
█ █ Well, the final, and most integral part of this album: █ █
█ █ SONGWRITING. Now, I know this review must be starting to █ █
█ █ get boring for those of you wall-of-text haters, but this █ █
█ █ is where shit gets real. J.L. and M. Barcia have stepped up █ █
█ █ their songwriting processes. Mixing the crushing doom █ █
█ █ sections, and the backbreaking death metal sections, and █ █
█ █ even the darker rocky clean sections, they have pushed the █ █
█ █ ante and have recharged their music after the somewhat █ █
█ █ dissapointing Verses In Vain. █ █
█ █ While the music is still Kathaarsys, there is just some █ █
█ █ sort of energy injected into the music, that the sophomore █ █
█ █ release was missing dearly, due to its monumental song █ █
█ █ length and ridiculously varying song structures. █ █
█ █ So, this is recommended to fans of extreme metal with █ █
█ █ depressive rock tendencies, progressive influences and █ █
█ █ tidbits everywhere, and Akercocke fans. █ █
█ █ An excellent album, all five songs are much better than █ █
█ █ anything I've heard from the guys and gal since Gnostic █ █
█ █ Seasons and the title track off the first record. █ █
█ █ █ █
█░█ █░█
█ █ 1. Part One û Thoughts About Worthless Things and 6:05 █ █
█ █ the Future █ █
█ █ 2. Part Two û Sadness and Hopelessness 5:37 █ █
█ █ 3. Part Three û The Advent of Madness 5:04 █ █
█ █ 4. Part Four û No Guide 13:49 █ █
█ █ 5. Part Five û Darkness 9:53 █ █
█ █ 40:28 █ █
█░█░ █░█░
█░█░ █░█░
█░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒
░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒
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